The present invention relates generally to heating ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC); and more particularly, it relates to a device for mounting air diffusers and their matching forced air boxes within orifices in floors, ceilings, and walls.
One of the most common ways to conduct heated or cooled forced air from a furnace or air conditioning unit is by forcing the air through flexible ducts. The terminal ends of the ducts are connected to boxes positioned adjacent orifices in the room partitions leading to the interior of the room to be heated or cooled. The orifices are typically covered by diffusers or grates within the room interior which are attached to both the room partition and to flanges on the boxes.
During installation of a diffuser and its matching box, an installer typically aligns the box with an orifice cut into a partition forming a floor, ceiling, or wall. The box must be held in position on the exterior side of the partition while a second person, positioned on the room side of the partition, drives screws through holes in the diffuser face, through the partition and into flanges on the box. The first person then attaches a flexible duct to the box. This is relatively simple to perform but is very time consuming since two people are needed to perform the installation. In addition, it is common to place HVAC diffusers in ceiling and walls constructed of materials such as drywall, plaster board, and the like. These materials do not accept screws because they are fabricated from calcined compositions which crumble when subjected to a twisting threaded motion as a result of which then form threadless holes or cause the orifice periphery to break away. Thus, screws extending from the diffuser which are driven through a portion of a dry wall partition and into a box flange are only secured to the box flange and are not fixed to the partition. Repeated removal and reattachment of screws driven into the partition periphery, necessitated by cleaning, painting of the room, and the like often result in enlargement of the orifice in the partition and subsequent inability of the user to remount the diffuser and box to the partition.
A need, therefore, exists for a device which holds the box in place so only one person is needed to attach the diffuser to the box and to mount the diffuser and box to the partition orifice.
A need also exists for a device which provides a secure attachment of the diffuser and box to the partition material and which inhibits the partition from crumbling.